Vineet D. Menachery

Post-doctoral Fellow Laboratory of Ralph Baric Department of Epidemiology Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina

Dr. Vineet D. Menachery received his B.S. in Microbiology from Clemson University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Immunology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2010. His thesis work focused on the immune response in the peripheral and central nervous systems following infection with herpes simplex virus. In 2010, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Ralph Baric in the department of Epidemiology in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has since been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), from the National Institute of Aging.

During his time at UNC, Dr. Menachery has explored the host immune response to highly virulent respiratory viruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), influenza A viruses strains H1N1 and H5N1, as well as the recently emerged Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Utilizing comparative systems biology, Dr. Menachery was able to identify a novel approach utilized by both influenza H5N1 and MERS-CoV to combat the host immune response though histone modification. Importantly, the research approach may also provide a rapid means to categorize the potential threat posed by current and future emerging respiratory viruses.

In addition to systems biology projects, Dr. Menachery has also advanced new platforms for coronavirus treatments, evaluation of new virus pathogenic potential, and the role of host genetics in respiratory disease outcomes. Together, his research has the potential to produce important findings for the recognition, treatment, and alleviation of emerging virus infections and human disease.

In May 2017 he will begin a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch.